How to see more stars

★ Find the best place to see stars locally to you by visiting www.darkskydiscovery.org. uk which shows a map of great stargazing locations as nominated by local groups and organisations or visit www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk for a map showing how dark the sky is in your area.

★ To get the most out of stargazing, choose a safe spot that’s away from the direct glare of light and go out at least an hour-and-a-half after sunset. If you need a hand making sense of what you’re looking at, get a copy of Philip’s 2020 Stargazing Month-by-Month Guide to the Night Sky, rrp £6.99, or download a star chart in advance from www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/the_night_sky

★ There is a range of telescopes available for getting a closer view of stars, including travel ones that are easy to carry. Try retailers such as John Lewis, whose selection includes a Sky Telescope. Or type ‘travel telescope’ into a Google search.

★ Pay a visit to one of the UK’s Dark Sky Places which are internationally recognised for the amazing number of stars you’re likely to see within them. These include Exmoor National Park, Brecon Beacons National Park, Cranborne Chase near Salisbury, Moore’s Reserve on the South Downs, Northumberland National Park and Bodmin Moor.

★ If you have an Android smartphone, download the app Google Sky Map which allows you to point your phone at the sky and work out constellations and other objects of interest. It’s basically a hand-held planetarium that will help you identify stars, planets, nebulae and more and is a lot of fun.